We can certainly argue about the way in which Snowden did what he did, but I think that he actually performed a public service by raising the debate that we engaged in and by the changes that we made … Now, I would say that doing what he did – and the way he did it – was inappropriate and illegal.

[emphasis added]

“Illegal” is pretty straightforward. I doubt even Snowden himself disputes it. “Inappropriate” is more up for debate. If you read this article about the miserable nonexistent record of practical benefit to whistle-blowers from whistle-blower protection statutes, it might make a little more sense to you why Snowden handled the information the way he did.